Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Essential Oil from the Basil Cultivated in Heilongjiang

The essential oil was obtained from the white Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) grown in Heilongjiang by hydrodistillation in a clevenger apparatus with 0.28% yield. Then the chemical composition of the essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS. A total of 25 constituents were detected, 24 compounds representing for 98.99% were identified, of which the most abundant compound was β-linalool (64.421%). The antibacterial activities of oil were tested against 3 different general of bacteria and were compared with that of the Penicillin sodium, using the filter paper disc agar diffusion method. The result showed that the oil has powerful inhibitory effects against Staphylicoccus albus, followed by Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli.